Sponsor's update from Mar del Plata, Argentina

Child sponsorship update from the SOS Children's Village Mar del Plata, Argentina from Winter 2008.

Dear sponsor,

Since we are getting closer to the end of the year with its traditional Seasons, it is a great pleasure to contact you to share some activities and reached achievements along the year 2008. We are aware of the fact that your generous support allows and makes possible the daily tasks at our SOS Children's Village of Mar del Plata, thus providing many boys and girls with a worthy life, - thank you again from the bottom of our heart!

At our SOS Children's Village in Mar del Plata nowadays live 8 families, totaling 62 boys and girls. At the SOS Youth House, located outside the SOS Children's Village, 11 youngster’s ages between 14 and 17 live together. They are working on their life project, from the educational and professional angle and with the assistance of the youth leader as their SOS mothers; strengthening their capabilities and interests. At our SOS Semi-independent Housing Prgramme are 8 youngsters, who either work or/and study, accompanied while undergoing their steps towards independence. 3 youngsters already live autonomously, although still being financially supported by the Village.

By the second half of the year, one of the SOS families received a group of siblings in ages between 5 and 11. Damián, Fabián, Daniela, Lucía and Lourdes arrived on Mother´s Day, by October; and came in during the lunch celebrated outdoors honoring the mothers. Everybody welcomed the siblings warmly, and a little later they were already well integrated with the other children, playing, chatting and laughing.

Regarding school, 12 of our boys and girls go to special schools coursing studies according to their needs. 3 boys and girls go to kindergarten, 36 boys and girls assist to elementary and 19 to high school. Two of our youngsters are attending university studies. Some of our children get extra scholar tuition or psycho pedagogical assistance, trying to procure every necessary resource to each one to give the best of them.

Growing up at Mar del Plata, Argentina

Boys and girls of the Village take part at workshops in arts, culture, music or dances, as professional trainings and workshops. Inside the Village there are thematic workshops for children and SOS-moms and –aunts; especially about nutrition and sexuality, with the object to create healthy habits. They also assist to recreational activities, especially during the summer time; sports, games and what they all most like is the swimming pool as all kind of activities around water. The children also enjoy going to town, to walk or assisting to various events offered at the theatres in downtown.

The children also enjoy much the newly installed computer room at the children's village for their use. All the boys and girls use the PC´s to surf the internet and to play games; but especially Cristian, José Luis, Javier, Samuel, Lucas, Adrián, Emanuel, Jonathan and the little Camila are assiduous visitors to the room, hardly missing one day without playing at the computer or learning something new.

A special mention also goes to the Children´s Day in August. All our boys, girls and youngsters enjoyed a big party day at the Village, with an outdoor lunch, a theater play, and much fun at the mounted inflatable games and many gifts. It was really a pleasure to see them and to feel their happiness.

Miriam, Patricia, Marina – SOS-moms and -aunts – went together with Gustavo, our Village´s director, to the SOS Children´s Village in Luján, which was inaugurated November, 4th. They assisted to the opening ceremony, with speeches from various authorities, and dances prepared by the children of the Village in Luján, then could share games with them at the Village´s park there and a big lunch at the Italian Society in town.

Within the scope of the integration to the local community, there were activities at the neighborhood´s sanitary ward and the nearby located elementary school arranged. The Project “La Murga” came up, settled together with the Secretary of Culture department of the district, where the children from the school and the Village can learn to express themselves corporally and take part in groups’ activities.

Events at Mar del Plata, Argentina

Goal for the coming year is to complete the accommodation capacity of the Village, to this purpose two more houses are prepared to function and the workers staff is to be completed. We are also working to increment the recreational activities offered to our children and improving the room spaces to training and reflective activities for them as for the collaborators.

We also project to continue working towards the integration of the Villages community with the neighbourly community; developing projects with local institutions to favor the interrelation of the Village with the rest of society. In this spirit, an Agreement to the Mutual Collaboration was signed with the Municipal Administration of the General Pueyrredón district, where SOS Children's Villages is recognised as an entity dedicated to the work with children in town. There are also other settlements being arranged, at provincial and national level and we are working with several organisations in town.

The programme of familiar strengthening is nowadays working at five community homes and two community centers, covering 167 boys and girls and the projection to reach 280 boys and girls. This program is being developed at the region of Batán, located some 12 km from the city of Mar del Plata; it is growing and projecting new activities at the neighborhood of the Village. By 2009 we hope to grow on to 400 participants.

Also recently a Territorial Forum for the Childhood was formed, where the SOS Children's Village of Mar del Plata is part, and there takes part actively at the Education and Childhoods Net in Batán.

We would like to thank you once more for your noble support! Thanks to, it is possible to enroot the idea of SOS Children, and to help many boys and girls to carry lives in dignity, with a chance to get a better future - thank you so much!

With our best wishes for Christmas to you and your family and blessings of peace and love to the New Year 2009!

Kind regards,

Claudia Kurz
Sponsor Adviser